CALLS to move a bus stop away from a notorious junction in the centre of a traffic-congested village have been rejected.

Surrey County Council’s passenger transport team decreed that it would not solve the tailbacks which regularly cause Bramley to grind to a halt, but would instead move the problem elsewhere.

However, Bramley Parish Council, which had raised the issue with the county, is not giving up and is taking the matter back to Surrey.

The last meeting of the local authority heard that county officials were working on the basis that the relocated bus stop would be as it is now, without a lay-by, only several yards further along the A281 from its junction with Station Road and Snowdenham Lane.

But, said Councillor Richard Gates: “The reason for doing it was because there is more pavement so an indent could be made so the bus could get in.”

He agreed that without a lay-by for the buses, cars would still have to wait behind them while passengers were boarding.

The bus stop is currently located just a few yards from the junction, outside the Bramley Grange and opposite a BP service station and shop.

Parish council chairman, Cllr Sue O’Connell, said: “If they painted the double yellow lines outside the garage to stop the delivery vans in the morning that would help.”

The village suffers because of its location on the busy A281, which carries traffic from the south coast to Guildford and beyond.

The morning rush-hour congestion is exacerbated by parents driving their daughters to the independent girls school, St Catherine’s, in Station Road.

Calls to find ways to end the problems were made during November’s meeting of the parish council, at which representatives from the school were present, along with neighbours of St Catherine’s.

The school has promised an in-depth response to the comments made then, but it has provided the authority with an initial reaction to what was said.

Acknowledging the concerns about the traffic and pointing to the “many measures” put in place over the last few years to improve traffic flow, it has made clear that, based on surveys carried out, the “vast majority” of vehicles travelling through the village had “nothing to do with the school”.

St Catherine's told the parish council: “We remain committed to looking for every opportunity to improve the two short hotspots of each day around 8.15am and 4.15pm and always consider suggestions that are given to us that are practical and can be achieved.”

The authority, which has made clear its support for St Catherine’s School, recognises that there are many factors which contribute to Bramley’s traffic problems.

In a report to villagers, the council highlighted some of the causes, which included “the designation of the narrow A281 through the village by Surrey County Council as a recommended route for HGVs; the mini-roundabout that is massively over capacity; the cunning placement of the bus stop in a location guaranteed to block all traffic whenever a bus stops; the unsuitable use of narrow roads around Bramley by lorries; the lack of alternative north-south roads; the increase in population with increased building and so on”.

The council made clear that the St Catherine’s traffic was “not by any means the most significant of these issues”, but stated that it “clearly has an impact on congestion at peak times”.

And in its report, the council added: “Congestion is aggravated when a minority of drivers park inconsiderately or illegally, block the road unnecessarily or break the highway code.”

The authority has welcomed measures put in place by the school to cut down on car use and has said it will work with St Catherine’s to find other solutions.